The present invention relates generally to the field of inflatable rafts.
Inflatable rafts are typically used in recreational swimming pools as well as other bodies of water as a means to provide flotation to a user. An inflatable raft is usually constructed of polymeric material that has an interior that receives air through a nozzle. As the raft receives air, in inflates to the inflated state in which it is typically bouyant enough to allow the user to float on water when resting on the raft.
While the raft is afloat, it is subject to currents within the body of water. As a result, if the user intends to remain in the same general area, the user may be required to actively navigate the raft to stay in the desired area. This is undesirable in many cases as one of the primary uses of inflatable rafts is to allow the user to relax.
To facilitate stationary positioning of an inflatable raft, anchoring arrangements have been developed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,346 to Gunter et al. shows a raft tethered to the side of a pool using straps. The straps attach to the raft using fabric hook and loop fasteners. The raft-side of the fastener is attached to the raft via an adhesive. The straps attach to the pool side by use of a suction mechanism. While the Gunter anchoring arrangement advantageously eliminates raft drift, it undesirably relies upon adhesives to secure the fastener to the raft. The use of adhesives, which must be water insoluble and resilient, raises manufacturing issues and possibly environmental issues. Moreover, hook and loop fasteners can have reduced effectiveness after several uses, and typically have limited retention capabilities. Still another drawback of the Gunter arrangement arises from the use of flat straps in connection with the hook and loop fastener. In particular, the flat straps must be affixed to the pool side in a particular alignment to achieve proper alignment of the strap-side fastener with the raft-side fastener.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,331 to Eggleston shows another raft anchoring device that attaches to the bottom of a pool. Instead of a hook and loop fastener, the Eggleston anchoring arrangement employs a xe2x80x9csnapxe2x80x9d or clasp fastener similar to that used to secure pet animals to tethers. While the snap fastener overcomes the retention effectiveness issues of hook and loop fasteners employed in the Gunter anchoring arrangement, the Eggleston arrangement nevertheless undesirably relies on adhesives to affix a fastener pad to the raft. In particular, the fastener pad of Eggleston contains the hole that receives the snap fastener and thus allows the anchoring arrangement to be secured to the raft. In addition to the drawbacks of adhesive use, the fastener pad in which the hole is formed may tear from repeated use. Moreover, the Eggleston device consists of only a long, single tether. As a result, the raft is largely free to rotate about the tether, which may be undesirable in a crowded pool environment.
Accordingly, there is a need for a device that tethers an inflatable raft to a stationary object that does not rely on water resistant adhesives to secure the tether to the raft. There is a further need for a device that at least optionally constrains the rotation motion of the inflatable raft and which is otherwise easy to configure and use. There is also a need for an anchoring device that has a secure and robust attachment to an inflatable raft that is resistant to failure after repeated use.
The present invention addresses the above needs, as well as others, by providing a tethering arrangement that preferably includes a clasp that attaches to a reinforced aperture on the raft. Optionally, the reinforced aperture is formed in an integral portion of the raft material. Also preferably, the raft includes a plurality of reinforced apertures located at distinct locations on the periphery of the inflatable raft to allow the raft to be tethered at more than one point to reduce rotational travel.
A first exemplary embodiment of the present invention is an inflatable raft tethering arrangement that includes an inflatable raft and a tether. The inflatable raft has an aperture and a rigid reinforcement. The rigid reinforcement is disposed about the aperture. The tether includes a clasp, a cord, and a suction mechanism. The clasp is secured to the raft through the aperture and the cord secured to the clasp and the suction mechanism.
The above embodiment provides better strength and integrity of the tethering arrangement through the use of the rigid reinforcement, which may suitably be a grommet.
A second exemplary embodiment of the present invention is an inflatable raft tethering arrangement that also includes an inflatable raft and a tether. The inflatable raft has an aperture and an integral uninflatable peripheral portion. The aperture is formed in the uninflatable peripheral portion. The tether includes a clasp, a cord, and a suction mechanism. The clasp is secured to the raft through the aperture and the cord secured to the clasp and the suction mechanism.
The above embodiment provides, among other things, a tethering arrangement that does not rely on adhesives because the aperture through which the clasp is received is formed integrally into an uninflatable peripheral portion of the raft.
Other embodiments optionally include an elastic cord, multiple tethers, and/or a pliable clamp that assists in securing the tether cord to the suction mechanism.
The above discussed features and advantages, as well as others, will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.